Château de Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, Medieval castle ruins in Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, France.

Château de Fontaine-de-Vaucluse comprises stone remains standing on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Sorgue River and the surrounding Provençal landscape. The structure displays multiple building layers from different periods, with portions dating back to the 12th century.

Construction began around 1030 and the site is documented from 1034, with the current ruins originating primarily from the early 12th century. The monument received official protected status in 1931.

The castle is also called château de Pétrarque, after the poet Petrarch, who withdrew to Fontaine-de-Vaucluse and became a friend of Philippe de Cabassolle, Bishop of Cavaillon, visiting him often at his summer residence here in the 14th century. The bishop's name remains attached to the site alongside Petrarch's.

The ruins stand a few hundred metres upstream from the Sorgue resurgence, on the rocky outcrop above Fontaine-de-Vaucluse. Reach them on foot from the village centre; the path climbs, so allow time and wear shoes with grip. The walls are unprotected and the ground between them is bare earth, so watch your footing near the edges.

The ruins occupy a strategically important position above France's largest spring, the source of the Sorgue River. Visitors often overlook this pivotal location, which directly explains why the castle was positioned here.